1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lacrosse sticks, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for dampening the rebound of a lacrosse head pocket after the pocket has been pulled taut by, for example, a caught, thrown, or cradled lacrosse ball.
2. Background of the Invention
Since they were first introduced around 1970, double-wall, synthetic lacrosse heads have revolutionized the game of lacrosse. In comparison to the early single-wall wooden lacrosse heads, synthetic heads offer vastly improved feel, balance, lightness, maneuverability, and flexibility. The synthetic heads are also less expensive to manufacture and can be produced with a more consistent level of quality. And, perhaps most importantly, the synthetic heads offer superior durability, withstanding the harsh impacts and bending encountered during play, such as during face-offs and defensive checking.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional molded-head lacrosse stick. As shown, lacrosse stick 100 includes a handle 102 shown in dotted lines, and a double-wall synthetic head 104. Head 104 includes a generally V-shaped frame having a juncture 106, sidewalls 108 and 110, a transverse wall (or “scoop”) 112 joining the sidewalls at the end opposed to juncture 106, and a stop member 114 joining sidewalls 108 and 110 at the end nearest juncture 106. As shown, handle 102 fits into and through juncture 106, and abuts stop member 114. A screw or other fastener placed through opening 107 secures handle 102 to head 104.
For traditionally-strung pockets (which have thongs and string instead of mesh), thongs (not shown) made of leather or synthetic material extend from upper thong holes 116 in transverse wall 112 to lower thong holes 118 in stop member 114. In some designs (such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,984 to Crawford et al.), upper thong holes 116 are located on tabs of the scoop 112. On other designs, as in FIG. 1, upper thong holes 116 are located within scoop 112. FIG. 1 shows four pairs (116, 118) of thong holes that accept four thongs.
To complete the pocket web, the thongs have nylon strings threaded around the thongs and string laced through string holes 120 in sidewalls 108 and 110, forming any number of diamonds (crosslacing). Finally, one or more throwing or shooting strings extend transversely between the upper portions of sidewalls 108 and 110, attaching to throwing string hole 124 and a string laced through string hole 122. The typical features of a lacrosse stick are all shown generally in Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,495; Crawford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,984; and Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,947 which are all incorporated by reference herein.
In addition to traditionally strung heads, some heads use mesh pockets or a combination of traditional and mesh stringing. In any case, the mesh or stringing is conventionally attached to the head through holes in the scoop, sidewalls, and stop members, or through holes in rigid tabs attached to the scoop, sidewalls, and stop members. As used herein, thread holes or thread openings refer to the holes that receive the various forms of pocket stringing, such as the holes in the scoop, sidewalls, and stop members, or the holes in tabs attached to the scoop, sidewalls, and stop members. Also, as used herein, a pocket thread refers to any member, such as a thong, string, or mesh, that forms the pocket or attaches the pocket to the lacrosse head.
The traditional double-wall synthetic head is an injection-molded, monolithic structure. Examples of suitable synthetic materials well known in the art include nylon, urethane, and polycarbonate. These materials are generally regarded as superior to wood, offering players improved handling and durability. For example, a lacrosse head constructed of DuPont™ ZYTEL ST-801 nylon resin is able to withstand the bending and harsh impacts inherent to competition far better than a traditional wooden stick. As another example, polycarbonate, though having flexibility similar to wood, is more structurally durable than wood and much lighter, and therefore easier to handle.
Although the synthetic materials impart many performance advantages over traditional wooden heads, the synthetic, monolithic double-wall head fails to outperform the wooden heads in one critical aspect: pocket “give.” Specifically, the rigidity required for durability is at odds with the desire for “give” in the pocket when receiving a heavy, hard rubber lacrosse ball. Because the synthetic heads use substantially rigid materials to provide the structural integrity and durability of the head frame, the thong holes in the substantially rigid head provide little deflection against which the pocket strings can pull. In other words, the thong holes in a synthetic head do not deaden the pull of the pocket webbing, as occurs, for example, when a lacrosse ball hits the pocket. This lack of impact absorption is noticeable in comparison to a wooden single-wall head, which fixes the pocket webbing to a pliable gut wall. Thus, there remains a need for a synthetic lacrosse head design that provides the pocket “give” of a wooden head, while maintaining the light weight, durability, and structural integrity of traditional synthetic lacrosse heads.
Notably, this pocket “give” is most critical in the women's game, in which shallow pocket depth rules necessitate tightly strung pockets. Given that the combined height of the sidewall and pocket cannot exceed the size of the game ball (2½ inches), the netting suspended from the women's lacrosse head forms little, if any, pocket and remains substantially in the same plane as the head itself. As a result of the necessary tension, when the lacrosse ball hits the pocket, the impact often causes a trampoline effect that makes the ball hard to catch and control. Indeed, for all but the most skilled players, a lacrosse ball can easily bounce out of the rebounding pocket. In essence, the pocket, strung on a rigid unforgiving frame, acts like the strings of a tennis racquet and rebounds the ball out of the pocket. Although this trampoline effect is more pronounced in the tightly strung women's lacrosse heads, the desire to absorb the impact of an incoming ball is equally applicable to men's lacrosse heads.